This invention relates to containers which are used to store or transport arrows used in archery or archery hunting as well as other elongate and slim articles of commerce which have length/width ratios of e.g. at least 15/1. In addition, the invention can be applied to non-elongate articles, indeed articles which have similar, or same length and width, or articles which are shorter than they are long. It is well known in the sports of archery and hunting that the sportsman""s goal is to shoot arrows in straight flight and to repeatedly hit the target accurately. In order to achieve this goal, an archer""s arrows must be in the best possible condition.
Generally, arrows have a long, straight shaft, a pointed tip at one end, a notch at the opposite end, and fletchings adjacent the notch at the opposite end. During storage and transportation, if the arrows are allowed to shift so as to come in contact with each other or in contact with other objects, or if the arrows are allowed to become exposed to the elements of nature, damage to the arrows can occur. The shaft can become warped, bowed, or even cracked or broken. The tips can be dulled, and the fletchings, which are delicate and critical to the arrows"" flight performance, can be misshapen or otherwise damaged.
In addition to the above described major damages which can be visited on the elements of the arrow when not protected during e.g. ground transportation, any of the elements of the arrow can be scratched, dented, or otherwise experience visibly minor damage, but damage which changes the flight characteristics of the arrow enough to make a difference in satisfaction of the archer who uses such arrow. Since the archer is relying on known flight characteristics of the arrow, any deviation from such flight characteristics jeopardizes the achievement of hitting the intended target at the intended location.
Thus, it is known that it is desirable to protect arrows from incidental environmental damage to the arrows before such time as the arrows are used for shooting purposes. It is known, for example, to protect the arrows from such incidental damage by securing the arrows in a spaced apart relationship at both the point end and the notch end.
It is also known to provide quivers which totally enclose the arrows, thereby protecting the arrows from the elements of nature. However, such known quivers provide only limited access to the arrows.
There is thus a need for a quiver which can protect the arrows from incidental damage prior to the arrows being used for shooting, which can optionally shield the arrows from the ambient environment, and yet which provides easy access to the arrows in close quarters.
It is an object of the invention to provide a container such as a quiver which has a plurality of cells each capable of holding an article in a separate cell, wherein the cells can pivot from a closed configuration wherein the container encloses and protects the arrows or other elongate articles to an open configuration wherein enclosing side walls of the cells are disposed in facing relationships with each other.
It is another object of the invention to provide a container which has a plurality of cells each capable of holding an article, wherein the cells can pivot from a closed configuration wherein the container encloses and protects the articles to an open configuration wherein free edges of the cells are disposed closely adjacent each other.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a container which has a plurality of cells each capable of holding an article, wherein the cells can pivot from a closed configuration wherein the container encloses and protects the articles to an open configuration wherein the open walls provide access to the articles about substantially a full circle defined about a longitudinal axis of the container, and whereby a user can retrieve an article from the container from virtually any angle perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a container which has a plurality of cells each capable of holding an article, from a closed configuration wherein the container encloses and protects the articles, the container can pivot at least one of the cells about at least one of the hinges to collectively expose the open walls of cells of the container collectively about greater than 180 degrees of a circumference of an open configuration of the container, and wherein the holders for holding the elongate articles hold the articles in the container against unintended falling out, at any orientation of the container while the open walls collectively define greater than 180 degrees of such circumference.
The present invention is a container which protects elongate articles from damage caused by contact with each other, or contact with the elements of nature or the surrounding environment, during storage, transportation, or use, and which provides convenient accessibility to the articles. The container is comprised of article-holding cells, each holding preferably one article, and each closed along a top wall, a bottom wall, and one or more longitudinal closure sides, as well as having one or more open side walls. The cells collectively define the container. The cells are mounted for pivotation with respect to each other, along longitudinally extending hinges. Containers of the invention have an enclosing configuration, and an open configuration, preferably a plurality of potential open configurations. In some embodiments, closure side walls have free edges which are adjacent each other, or closure side walls bearing free edges are adjacent each other. In some embodiments, in open configuration, open walls provide access to the contained articles about substantially a full circle about the longitudinal axis of the container. In some embodiments, again in open configuration, the container exposes more than 180 degrees of open wall, and article holders hold the elongate articles against unintended falling out at any orientation of the container.
In a first family of embodiments, the invention comprehends a container for holding such articles. The container comprises a plurality of article-holding cells. Each cell comprises a top wall having a top wall perimeter, and a bottom wall having a bottom wall perimeter. Respective cells comprise (i) a cell perimeter generally extending along a length of the cell and between the top wall perimeter and the bottom wall perimeter, (ii) at least one longitudinally-extending enclosing side wall enclosing at least a first side of the cell perimeter, and extending more than 90 degrees about the perimeter of the respective cell, (iii) at least one open wall defining at least a second side of the cell perimeter and extending at least about 60 degrees about the perimeter of the respective cell, and (iv) holder apparatus effective to hold an article against unintended transverse movement. The container further comprises hinges, preferably three hinges, connecting the cells serially to each other such that the cells can pivot with respect to each other about the hinges. The side walls and hinges are configured and arranged with respect to each other such that the cells can collectively define an enclosing arrangement whereby the enclosing side walls and hinges define a generally closed container configuration enclosing the holder apparatus therein, including unhinged longitudinal free edges of first and second ones of the cells in proximal relationship with respect to each other, and such that the cells can collectively pivot about the hinges thereby to bring respective ones of the enclosing side walls toward a central portion of the container, and to correspondingly face respective ones of the open walls outwardly from the central portion of the container, in a fully reversed and open container configuration wherein ones of the enclosing side walls bearing the free edges of the first and second cells are disposed in facing relationship with each other and/or the free edges are disposed closely adjacent each other.
In preferred embodiments, the cells can collectively pivot about the hinges thereby to bring respective ones of the enclosing side walls toward a central portion of the container and can correspondingly face respective ones of the open walls outwardly from the central portion of the container, in a fully reversed configuration, defined about a longitudinal axis of the reversed configuration container.
In preferred embodiments, the article-holding cells collectively define a common article-holding cavity when the container is in the closed container configuration.
Also in preferred embodiments, the article-holding cells define separate and distinct article-holding receptacles when the container is in the open-container configuration.
Preferably, each cell is capable of holding a single one of the articles, whether in the closed container configuration or the open-container configuration.
Still further to preferred embodiments, the container comprises biasing structure biasing the pivoting of the cells with respect to each other such that such pivoting comprises both stable and unstable relationships of the respective cells with respect to each other, and wherein the biasing structure automatically urges the cells to move toward the stable relationships and away from the unstable relationships.
In preferred embodiments, the open-container configuration and the closed configuration define a generally common set of outer length dimensions and transverse cross-section dimensions of the container.
Also with respect to preferred embodiments, the article-holder apparatus is arranged, positioned, and configured so as to hold the article between the top wall and the bottom wall, and aligned with a longitudinal axis of the container, thus to limit longitudinal movement of the article.
In a second family of embodiments, the invention comprehends such plurality of article-holding cells, respective cells each defining the cell perimeter, the at least one longitudinally-extending enclosing side wall, the at least one open wall, the article holder apparatus, and the hinges, such that the cells can pivot with respect to each other, as well as the side walls and hinges being so configured, and arranged with respect to each other such that the cells can collectively define an enclosing arrangement whereby the enclosing side walls and hinges define a generally closed container configuration enclosing the article holder apparatus therein, and such that the cells can collectively pivot about the hinges thereby to bring respective ones of the enclosing side walls toward a central portion of the container, and to correspondingly face respective ones of the open walls outwardly from the central portion of the container, in a fully reversed and open container configuration, defined about a longitudinal axis of the reversed configuration container, and wherein, in such fully reversed and open-container configuration, the open walls provide access to such articles which are being held in the article holder apparatus, about substantially a full circle defined about the longitudinal axis, whereby a user can retrieve an article from the container from virtually any angle perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
In a third family of embodiments, the invention comprehends such plurality of article-holding cells, respective cells comprising the cell perimeter, the at least one longitudinally-extending enclosing side wall, the at least one open wall, the article holder apparatus, and the hinges, such that the cells can pivot with respect to each other, as well as the side walls and hinges being so configured, and arranged with respect to each other such that the cells can collectively define an enclosing arrangement whereby the enclosing side walls and hinges define a generally closed container configuration enclosing the article holder apparatus therein, and such that the cells can collectively pivot about the hinges thereby to open the container about at least one of the hinges to collectively expose one or more of the open walls as a portion of a perimeter of the container, and wherein the article holders hold the articles in the container against unintended falling out, at any orientation of the container while the open walls collectively define any portion of the perimeter of the container.